Silver Lotto

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How to choose the best game to play in Canada with the greatest odds of winning the lottery

Mitchel Dyck with his $70million Lotto Max check that he collected after his win in October 2022   Photo: WCLC

Canadians have a choice of 5 main lotteries that can be played with the Silver Lotto System: Atlantic 49, Lotto 649, Lotto Max 7/50, Western 49 and Ontario 49.

But which ones have the best odds of winning the lottery in Canada? What’s the best lotto game to play? Here's how to work it out:

You’ll get the most effective results when the numbers and balls in a game are low. That means playing with the minimum number of balls along with the minimum amount of numbers.

The biggest Lotto Max win so far has been a $100million jackpot struck in July 2012

These games with the smallest numbers will return the best odds for the number of tickets you buy. It's just simple maths.

So, taking into account the cost of tickets in each game, the list now appears like this in the best to lowest selection order:

  1. Atlantic 49 - $1

  2. Ontario 49 - $1

  3. Western 49 - $1

  4. Lotto 649 - $3

  5. Lotto Max - $5

Since the first four games have the same amounts - 6 balls and 49 numbers, how do we make a choice between them?

Well, that's easy - the answer is that you can't play anywhere else. You can only play the game in your area. 

Map of Canada

The borders and areas define where Canadians can play, and players in those regions will often only have one choice… Atlantic 49, Ontario 49 or Western 49.

They are the best value for money. Otherwise, you should play Lotto 649 or Lotto Max.

And there's one other point to consider...

The Lotto Max is least recommended because of its 7-ball disadvantage. The math says 7 balls have a poorer chance of winning than 6 balls.

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Christine Lauzon of Burnaby claimed a $70million Lotto Max prize from the Sept. 28, 2021 draw, the maximum prize amount available   Photo: BCLC

But Lotto Max has one benefit that attracts many players - a high jackpot cap. In July 2012 it went as high as $100 million in one game, but it is now capped at $70 million.

So while the Lotto Max odds are the poorest of the five games, the jackpot is high, and most players will want to play the Max despite the worse odds.

But if you want to win any sum faster, the winning odds are best with smaller numbers. You decide!

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